I have often said that one of the happy by-products of the 2006 election was that we no longer had 2nd CD Representative Charlie Bass to continually disappoint Republicans with his squishy, moderate ways. At least with Hodes, we EXPECT him to act like a Democrat. Now don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying Hodes has done us much good, but at least with him, we have truth in advertising: A politician from the liberal party acting liberal rather than one from the supposed conservative party acting liberal. Oh sure, back before the ’06 elections– after Charlie had won the primary and was the GOP nominee– I suggested folks in the District vote for Bass, noting
that as much as I’m not a Charlie Bass fan, I think the consequences of Democrats taking the House would be very bad for our country…
What else could I say, given the fact he had won the primary and, at the time, Republicans still controlled the House? Well, we all know the Dems took the House anyway, thanks, in no small part, to the dismal performance turned in by national Republicans who had failed to get much done in the name of the good, solid principles espoused in the platform–at least partially due to the fact that they were always having to be compromised thanks to moderates like Bass and others of his ilk.
Guess what? Heeeeeeeeeeee’s Baaaaaaaaaaaaack! Like a bad penny, Charlie Bass is back on the scene and, sensing the political winds shifting favorably towards the Republicans, this opportunist wants another bite of the apple. And sadly, during his years spent wandering in the desert, there has been no "road to Damascus" moment for him as he remains the same moderate squish he has always been. But don’t take my word for it… just ask Charlie himself.
Writing in a piece posted at the Ripon Forum, Charlie puts forth his thoughts as to how Republicans can win again here in the Northeast. Not surprisingly, his formula for success does NOT include a return to conservatism. In fact, if anything, he calls for a retreat from such positions…
First, he puts forth the plug for a "big tent", admonishing any NH GOP candidates from being TOO Republican.
we as a party need to recognize that one-size-does-not-fit-all when it comes to campaigns. It shouldn’t be an earth-shattering revelation, but the fact of the matter is that the type of candidate and campaign that can win in Alabama is not going to be the same type of candidate or campaign needed to win in New Hampshire. Voters in the Northeast respect political independence and expect their elected officials to focus on finding solutions to the challenges facing the region and our country, not just on red meat rhetoric. We as a party must be politically pragmatic enough to recognize this fact and run campaigns that reflect it.
Next, comes the obligatory slam at those pesky "social issues" he so wishes would just go away, using Reagan as a straw man:
we need to emphasize those policies and positions that unite all Republicans – rather than focus on issues that divide us. It was Ronald Reagan who pointed out that someone who agrees with you on 80 percent of the issues is a friend, not an enemy. Unfortunately, instead of emphasizing those issues that unite us, the Republican Party of today has spent far too much time focused on divisive social issues. Worse, elements of the party have not only pushed for our party to focus on these divisive issues, they have pushed for a party where only those who agree with each other on 100 percent of issues are pure enough to be a part of our party today.
Do I detect the fingerprints of former NHGOP chair Fergus Cullen, here? Perhaps he even ghost wrote this for Charlie? "Gotta toss those social conservatives under the bus, you know. It’s THEM that keep losing elections for us…" It would NEVER be the other way around, would it, Charlie? Republicans campaigning as such and then acting like Democrats– THAT would NEVER cause voters to turn towards the real deal, would it?
No moderate manifesto would be complete without a slam at talk radio, and again, Charlie does not disappoint:
Our party needs to recruit and promote candidates who understand their electorate and who will reflect their values – and then support them as vigorously as they would others with whom they might be closer to philosophically. Some issues are universal, while others are distinctly regional. While fighting for lower taxes may be universal, issues like health care reform, energy and the environment, job creation and countless other issues effect different parts of the country differently. We need candidates who not only understand those differences, but who understand that the first obligation of public service is to represent those who you have been elected to serve – not to the national party or the talk radio crowd. We need candidates who are courageous enough to be decisively and proudly Republican when in agreement with our Party’s leadership on an issue, but courageous enough to be decisively independent when in disagreement.
Yeah, gotta watch out for that "talk radio crowd." (All 50+ million of ’em) We can’t be having too many informed people walking about armed with the facts, can we. Better to have people remain in the dark about what you and people like you are doing, eh Charlie? And what does he mean by the above paragraph, anyway? I’ll venture a crack at translating:
CHARLIE BASS SUPPORTS:
Other than that, though, I guess he’s with us, cuz he’s for "less taxes," though I’m not sure I can trust him on that one, either. He closes out his tome with some blather about individual liberty and other lofty terms that, while they sound good on paper, are the very things under assault by the moderates and liberals of our time, of which he is one.
We live in a time when America as we know it is on the brink. We need courageous leaders willing to go to Washington and fight for the founding principles and ideals which made us the greatest and freest Nation on earth– not Charlie Bass-types willing to compromise it all away. They’re the ones that helped set the stage that brought us to this point to begin with. Sorry Charlie. Been there. Done that.